Loved By The Damned
by little-boo
Summary: Hitomi meets a stranger at a party held for her and that's when trouble for both her and Van start. What will happen when something like chance could tear them apart? UPDATED.
1. Default Chapter

_Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or any of the characters.  
  
Authors note: A big shout out and thanks to Rai Dorian, who kindly offered to beta- read this. It looks so much better now and flows better as well. Thank you for your time and talent in helping me.  
  
_Loved By The Damned  


  
A gentle breeze rustled in the trees in the grounds of Fanelia's castle. Van had asked Hitomi to take a little walk with him before lunch, as he felt a little guilty that he hadn't spent much time with her. He had been busier than usual, as the big summer festival was coming up and it was an important Fanelian tradition.  
  
"Van, this was such a lovely idea, going for a walk!" exclaimed Hitomi. "I'm really glad I came to Gaea for my summer vacation."  
  
She crouched down, tucking her skirt under her, as she examined a small bright red flower more closely. Van knelt down beside her and did the same.  
  
"I'm really glad you came, too. I'm just sorry I haven't been spending much time with you. This festival has been taking up all my time."  
  
Hitomi glanced at him and gave him a smile.  
  
"Don't worry, Van; I know this is an important festival. You need time to sort it out. Say, what kind of flower is this? It's beautiful," she said as she gently touched one of its petals.  
  
"Its common name is 'Lover's Kiss.'" he said, blushing slightly. "It's because of the little heart shaped petals, you see. It actually plays an important part in the upcoming festivities."  
  
"Oh. I see," murmured Hitomi, blushing as well as she continued to look at the flower.  
  
Van gazed at her as they started to chat about nothing in particular, though he had to admit he wasn't really listening to her as she told him about her life at university. He was too busy just listening to the sound of her voice; he wasn't concentrating on the actual words she was saying. Van was thinking about how much Hitomi had grown---so elegant, and really beautiful, in just a few short years---when the woman in question looked up and saw him staring at her.  
  
"You okay, Van?" Hitomi asked as she tucked her now long hair behind her ears. Van, surprised at being discovered, got flustered and was saved in the middle of trying to stammer an excuse by an approaching servant.  
  
"Your Majesty, lunch is about to be served," said the woman, standing a little ways off from the two of them.  
  
"Oh...ah...err, yes, thank you. We'll be right in," said Van, trying to compose himself.  
  
Hitomi tried to hold in a giggle as the young king's face turned a bright red. He stood up, brushing the dirt from his trousers. The servant smiled as she bowed and made her way back in again. Before Hitomi stood up, she picked one of the little flowers, and when she stood breathed in the light scent it gave off.  
  
"Shall we go in now?" asked Van as he inwardly mocked himself and asked if he wanted to embarrass himself any more that day.  
  
"Yeah, I'm really getting hungry."  
  
As the two walked back, Van sensed something in the foliage behind him. He turned quickly to see if anything was there but was met only with silence, which in itself was a little odd. But before he could think any more on the matter, his thoughts were interrupted.  
  
"Van?" Hitomi called gently. "What's wrong?"  
  
Van scanned the greenery again before he turned to her.  
  
"Oh, nothing. I must be imagining things." He smiled at her trying to reassure her and held out his arm, and as she took it they again headed back.  
  
As they were walking into the distance a rustle came from the wood and a low deep voice came from the shadows.  
  
"Hi..to..mi..."  
  
----

_I know this chapter is short but it was really just to kinnda get me going. Anyway thank you Kya77 and Rai Dorian for reviewing. _


	2. Lovers Kiss'

_Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or any of the characters. _

_A/N: Thanks again to Rai Dorian for beta- reading this and the next chapter. _

_  
--------_

_  
_"So, did you enjoy your walk?" asked Merle as they were all eating lunch. She had also grown up into a very elegant cat woman. Her hair had grown almost halfway down her back.  
  
"Yes, it was lovely. The grounds are really quite breathtaking," said Hitomi. She took a sip from her glass.  
  
"I'm sure Lord Van was enjoying the view as well, right? Hmmm?" teased Merle.  
  
Van blushed again.  
  
"Yes, thank you, Merle," growled Van. As he turned to talk to Hitomi sitting next to him, he could hear Merle giggling opposite him, and could feel his face getting more flushed.  
  
"So, Hitomi..." he said, slightly louder than was needed, considering that Hitomi was only sitting next to him. He did so to drown out the cat woman's mirth.  
  
"Do you know that Allen, Millerna, and Dryden have to come to visit you tonight?" he continued.  
  
"Really? That's great! I haven't seen them in ages," smiled Hitomi.  
  
"Lord Van, are you going to tell her the surprise now?" cried Merle. She clapped her hands together.  
  
"Yeah. There's going to be a party tonight in your honour, Hitomi. It was going to be a surprise party, but Merle thought we should give you a little warning so you would have some time to get dressed up."  
  
Hitomi looked a little shocked and clapped her hands over her mouth. Merle, seeing the shock, got even more excited and let out a cry.  
  
"Oh, Hitomi, it's going to be wonderful! I thought we could go and find a dress after lunch!"  
  
She almost seemed to be jumping in her seat as she said this. Hitomi was completely taken back and looked at Van and Merle.  
  
"Say something, silly!" said Merle.  
  
"I can't believe it, thank you!" Hitomi gasped.  
  
With that, they all went back eating the rest of their lunch and talking excitedly about the upcoming evening.

--------  
  
"Good afternoon, Miss Kanzaki and Miss Merle," greeted passersby as the two young women walked down the street. They nodded back as they walked, arms linked and talking animatedly.  
  
"So what colour of dress do you want to go for?" asked Merle. While the two of them debated this they passed a shop with a dress in the window which made them both stop in their tracks.  
  
"Oh, wow! Hitomi, you have to get that one!" demanded her friend while pointing at the dress. As they drew closer, they could see the fine detail on the bodice. It was a simple-looking style that came off the shoulders and had no sleeves. What had caught the women's attention was the color and the pattern on the bodice. It was a deep blue with tiny little red flowers embroidered on it. When the two off them went to examine it closer, Hitomi instantly recognized the kind of flower.  
  
"Isn't that Lover's Kiss?" she asked Merle.  
  
Her friend nodded, a little surprised, and asked her how she knew what it was called.  
  
"Van told me this morning on our walk." With that she pulled the one she had picked earlier out of her pocket.  
  
"Is that a fact? He didn't happen to say what they are used for, did he?" Merle smiled.  
  
Hitomi shook her head. "He just said they were important in the festival coming up."  
  
Merle sniggered, at which Hitomi prodded her in the shoulder.  
  
Hitomi pretended to be annoyed. "What's so funny?"  
  
"You don't know what happens at this festival, do you?"  
  
When Hitomi shook her head again Merle started to laugh and said she would explain while Hitomi was trying on the dress.  
  
"You finished in there yet?" called Merle over the curtain.  
  
"Nearly, so explain why you find it so funny that I don't know what happens at this festival," she replied.  
  
Hitomi could hear Merle start to giggle again.  
  
"First of all, it's called 'Lovers Kiss' because it's traditional to put them in wedding bouquets and to decorate a newly weds room with them. Mainly because of the colour and shape of the petals, but also because there's a superstition about them, which is why they are so important at the festival."  
  
"Again, do you want to explain that?" said Hitomi as she unzipped the dress and stepped into it.  
  
"I was just getting to that. Geesh, you Mystic Moon people don't have much patience."  
  
Hitomi lifted back part of the curtain and stuck her tongue out at the cat, which was reciprocated.  
  
"The festival is really quite romantic. It's when you get the chance to say to the one you have a crush on that you have feelings for them. It always happens with an eclipse that happens every couple of years. The light only affects that specific flower, making it supposedly glow. It's the pigment in the petals or something. Lord Van explained it to me once but it was too complicated. It's actually called the 'Twilight Festival' because of the eclipse." Merle paused for a moment, catching her breath, before continuing again. She played about with her nail file around her neck as she spoke.  
  
"When two people proclaim their love for each other at that time, and if it's true, then they give each other one of the flowers. There's supposed to be some sort of mystic bonding thing that goes on, and then the two are 'forever joined.' Or something. I don't personally believe in the whole 'joining' thing, but I think the sentiment is lovely."  
  
"Yeah, it sounds lovely. Have you actually seen the flowers glowing?" Hitomi asked. She pulled the zip up the back and ran her fingers down, smoothing it out. She looked at herself in the mirror, which was in the little changing room, and turned slightly to see her profile. As Merle started to talk again, Hitomi had to admit to herself that she looked really good in the dress. It felt like it was made for her. She was jarred from her thoughts by Merle shouting at her.  
  
"Are you listening to me, Hitomi?"  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry, what did you say?"  
  
"I said that I only remember a little of the last festival. I was really young at the time. Plus I got sent to bed early as I got pretty ill that day, if I remember correctly. So I can't really honestly tell you if they do or not."  
  
"What was wrong with you?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Err..." stuttered Merle, embarrassed, as the woman shopkeeper was listening to the conversation.  
  
"Well, you see, Lord Van and I were a little greedy and we both ate large gateaux. I was as sick as a dog. Excuse the pun!"  
  
"And Van?" asked Hitomi.  
  
"Oh, he got sent to bed. But only because he tired himself out playing for ages with Lord Folken in the grounds," she replied with a small amount of bitterness in her voice. She called for her to hurry up and come out as Hitomi started to laugh, as did the shopkeeper, much to Merle's embarrassment. But the shopkeeper stopped laughing when Hitomi came out from behind the curtain. Merle gave a little gasp.  
  
"Wow. Hitomi, you look gorgeous! Lord Van is going to have a heart attack when he sees you in this! And Allen's face! Their eyes are going to pop out their heads!"  
  
"The young lady does indeed look wonderful in the dress," confirmed the shopkeeper, as she came over to make sure that the dress was fitting properly. When she bent down to check the length of the dress at the bottom she looked up at the two of them.  
  
"If you young misses don't mind, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about the 'Twilight Festival.'"  
  
Merle was fiddling about with Hitomi's long hair seeing if would be better up or down.  
  
"Huh? No, we don't mind, what is it?"  
  
"It's just, when you were talking about what happens when you exchange flowers...."  
  
She paused as she stood up and checked to see if it fitted around the bust area as well. "I did that at the last festival and, well, I believe something does happen. When you do exchange flowers with someone special you get a funny feeling. It's... it's like when you eat something warm on a cold day."  
  
Looking up at the ceiling, as though she could see the whole scene being played out on it, she blushed, more at the memory than at any embarrassment. "Sorry. Imagine a grown woman spouting things like that, but something did happen, though."  
  
"What about the 'someone special'?" asked Hitomi.  
  
"I think he must have felt something as well, because he asked me to marry him shortly afterwards," the woman concluded, tugging on the shoulders of the dress. The two younger women looked at each other, pretty convinced.  
  
"I can't believe it, this dress seems to have been made for you, miss. It fits perfectly." said the woman.  
  
"I know," agreed Merle. "You have to get this dress!"  
  
"But how much is it, though?" asked Hitomi, wondering if shops in Gaea took her money.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Van said that if we saw something, we were to charge it to him," said Merle. She dug in her bag for the letter with the royal seal on it, which said the exact same thing Merle had just said, only more formally.  
  
When she handed it to the shopkeeper, Merle then had to spend the next half hour convincing Hitomi that it was okay and that Van didn't mind buying the dress. In fact, he had insisted on it. Plus the deciding fact that Hitomi couldn't exactly buy it with her 'Moon' money. When they had said goodbye to the shopkeeper and were walking back to the palace, she still felt a little guilty about it.  
  
As they were walking back, the two of them got into another conversation, laughing and nudging each other playfully. When they walked by a little bit of woodland that was on either side of the entrance leading into the palace grounds, the hair on the back of Hitomi's neck stood up. She stopped laughing and looked around, feeling like she was being watched.  
  
"You okay?" asked Merle as she finished laughing.  
  
Hitomi shook the idea out of her head.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just being silly." With that, she nudged Merle with her hip not noticing the little flower she had picked earlier falling out of her pocket. Merle laughed and playfully pushed Hitomi back, and they carried on their conversation.  
  
Making sure the two women were a good distance away, a shadowy figure crept silently out of the woodland and picked up the dropped flower. Holding it close to his chest, he made his way back into the foliage, completely soundless, merging again with the shadows.


	3. The Charming Gentleman

_Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or any of the characters_.  
  
--------  
  
Getting ready for the party, Hitomi brushed her hair in front of the mirror. The feeling of being watched hadn't left her as she kept looking out the window towards the little forest outside her window. As it was getting late, the whole grounds filled with shadows and she scanned them, seeing if any stirred, giving an indication something was there. After a little while she scolded herself for being paranoid. Hitomi quickly finished getting changed, so when Merle knocked on the door she was ready and waiting. Hitomi beckoned her in while she grabbed her bag by the window. They both commented on how the other looked and joked about the men's faces when they would enter the room.  
  
"I hope they brought handkerchiefs," said Merle as she waited for Hitomi.  
  
Hitomi walking toward the window, turned, and raised her eyebrows. Puzzled at the statement, she asked why.  
  
"Because they're going to need something to wipe the drool off with and it's so unattractive if they use the back of their hand," said Merle, pretending to be serious.  
  
"Of course," replied Hitomi, keeping up the pretense. As she made her way back over to the door, bag in hand, they broke into a fit of giggles again.  
  
As the two women walked down the massive staircase toward the ballroom, Hitomi could see late guests scurrying towards the room. As the door was opened for them Hitomi could hear, even from her position on the stairs, music escaping. All sound from inside the room suddenly became muffled again just as the door closed again quietly. On reaching the bottom of the stairs, Merle told Hitomi to wait a few moments as she went on ahead to tell everyone the guest of honour was arriving. Hitomi only had to wait a few moments before her friend came back to bring her into the room.  
  
The whole room seemed to take a sharp intake of breath as Hitomi walked in the room.  
  
There were little gasps and approving murmurs, while Hitomi felt a little embarrassed at the sudden attention. She quickly looked around the room and saw about a hundred people staring at her. The men were looking at little more keenly than what Hitomi was comfortable with and she blushed deeply.  
  
"Psst! Hitomi, look at Allen. It looks like his jaw has hit the floor," whispered Merle out the side of her mouth. Hitomi glanced at him and saw that Merle wasn't exaggerating. The blond knight did indeed have his mouth open. His eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline, making his blue eyes seem as though they were going to fall out his head.  
  
Suddenly, she spotted Van, and was taken a little aback herself. He was what she had always imagined her prince charming to look like. He was standing there a long sleeved dark red jacket and black trousers. His hair, which had grown into a similar style as his father's, had been just like when she had seen him in a vision long ago, though it was still a distinctly 'Van' style, as it had a slightly messy look to it. She noticed that his beautiful dark eyes were slightly larger than usual and his mouth was agape. He shook his head slightly after a moment and walked towards her, and as he opened his mouth to say something to her, he was interrupted by someone suddenly appearing in front of him.  
  
"Hitomi!" cried Millerna as she threw her arms around her friend. "You look simply wonderful!"  
  
By the time conversation finished and Hitomi had been filled in on all the news and gossip, the dancing was well underway. Looking over, Hitomi saw that Van was talking to several older men with a serious look etched on his face. Van seemed to sense this and glanced up at her. Their eyes locked and for a moment they were the only two people in the world.  
  
Their moment was interrupted when the men around Van caught his attention again and he went back to the conversation before.  
  
Sighing, Hitomi looked around and walked over to the large bay windows that had been opened out onto the grounds. A chill came over her as she felt someone staring, as if boring a hole in the back of her neck. Rubbing it, she tried to shake the unpleasant feeling off. As she stared out the window she entered her own little world and thought about Van.  
  
Van. Just his name made her feel happier. Pleasantly occupying her mind with thoughts of the king, she didn't notice someone approach her until he was right behind her.  
  
"How is the guest of honor doing?" a strange voice whispered into her ear. Startled, she stumbled through the door and was about to fall face first outside when two strong arms caught her. As she steadied herself she looked at the person who had given her the scare.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lady Hitomi. I did not mean to frighten you." A young man in front of her bowed as she tried to steady her breathing. As he rose, Hitomi could see what had given her the scare and in the process nearly fell over again. He was one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. Her eyes went wide and she struggled for something to say.  
  
"Uh...ah...it's okay." She could feel herself going red as he smiled at her.  
  
He had long dark hair that he had tied back and very dark eyes. In the dim light of the candles lighting the grounds Hitomi thought his eyes were black. This was slightly unnerving, as he seemed to be staring at her in a most peculiar way.  
  
"No, my poor manners cannot be forgiven, startling a Lady as yourself in such a way. It is not very gentlemanly." His voice had a slight accent to it, which she found quite pleasant to listen to.  
  
"Who are you?" she managed to gasp out.  
  
"Oh, my! Again, I am so sorry; my manners have totally left me! What must you think of me?" He stood back little and bowed again. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Vincent, my lady." He stood back up again and put his head to one side, continuing to stare at her.  
  
When Hitomi asked him who had invited him and where he was from, he just smiled at her. Showing Hitomi his rather white teeth, he kept moving his head from side to side, still staring at her with those black eyes. Everything about the way the man acted puzzled Hitomi. He spoke very softly and his accent seemed to her to have a slight French lilt to it that made it even more enchanting. Being with this man, Hitomi felt weird. Her head felt fuzzy, and she was finding it quite hard to concentrate on what was going on. Shaking her head a little, Hitomi told herself it was just because she was getting tired. All the excitement was getting to her. Raising a hand to her forehead, she could hear the faint voice in the back of her head telling her to go back inside. To get away from this man. But when he spoke to her again his voice seemed to echo in her head, drowning out her conscience.  
  
"Lady Hitomi, are you feeling well? You seem a little flushed." He crept a little closer to her.  
  
"I'm fine, thank you, just a little tired," Hitomi tried convincing herself.  
  
"Why don't we take a little turn around the grounds to clear your head?" he whispered, standing so close she could feel his body heat. Looking up into his eyes, all resistance seemed to fade away, and she willingly took his outstretched arm. They headed into the grounds.  
  
The conversation was rather one-sided as the two walked past the candle boundary and into the darkness of the long lawn which at the ended at the forest. Hitomi was finding it hard to string two words together until she didn't seem to be able to think about anything anymore. Her companion seemed to know this and talked about idle things like the pleasant weather. Vincent stopped their walk when they reached the very old large tree that separated the well-kept palace lawn and the wild forest at the foot of it.  
  
He turned to face Hitomi, whose eyes had completely glazed over, and touched her cheek. "Hi..to..mi...." he whispered. Leaning in closer, he pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips hard against hers.  
  
Her eyes returned to normal and the spell over her seemed to have been broken. She pushed him away, wiping her mouth.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" she yelled angrily.  
  
He tilted his head to one side again, apparently quite surprised at her reaction.  
  
"You broke out of the trance. This is definitely an unexpected surprise." Vincent took a step towards her, making her back up against the tree.  
  
"Who are you?" Hitomi cried. Then she saw his eyes. They seemed to change in front of her. The easy, charming gentleman had gone; an animal had replaced it. Even their colour had changed. Gone was the black, now they were yellow. The pupils large and taking in every detail around them as he advanced on her. The sight scared her even more and the feeling in her legs went, making her collapse at the foot of the tree.  
  
"What are you?" gasped the frightened woman. This question plus her reaction seemed to affect him as he stopped in his tracks. He let out a low soft whine.  
  
Hitomi, taking a chance, picked up a stone and threw it at him. As he let out a howl she assumed that the stone had actually hit him and ran as fast as her legs could go towards the palace. But he was too quick, only slightly dazed by the attack. He leapt after her, heading her off so she didn't get very far. As he stood in front of her, he changed even more. His hair had come loose and his incisors grew as she watched. She ran back again towards the tree and when she had reached the other side of it she stopped gasping for breath.  
  
"Lady Hitomi, you have really surprised me. At first, I was just going to eat you, but then I thought it was such a pity to waste such beauty when I saw you by chance earlier today. So my plan changed, and I decided I was going to have a 'romp in the hay' as they say instead," he called to her from the other side other tree. He moved around slowly to see if he could catch her at the other side but she had noticed this, so she ran round the tree as he did.  
  
"Aren't I the lucky one," Hitomi said, trying to figure out when to run again. She shivered when his laughed echoed in the night air.  
  
She ran again to the other side, but he didn't follow. Straining her ears to hear his footsteps, dread formed in her stomach when she couldn't. Unbeknownst to her, he had jumped into the tree and was watching her as she tried to calculate where he was.  
  
"Really impressed me," Vincent murmured. He smiled, revealing his white teeth again. "Shall I answer your earlier questions now, my Hitomi?" he said, laughing at Hitomi jumping. She couldn't figure out where he was, not even from his voice. This was worrying her a lot, so she thought that if she kept him talking, someone from the party would miss her and come looking. She just had to hold out until they came.  
  
"Okay, then. So who are you?" she asked, her back pressed firmly against the tree.  
  
"My name is Vincent. My surname is of no importance. I came from the Earth a long, long time ago."  
  
"You came from Earth?" exclaimed Hitomi. Keeping her back to the tree, she slid around it slightly, trying to see if he was there.  
  
"I landed outside a village near a big forest very near here. I took up with some men I had become an acquaintance of, and we decided to go hunting into the forest. We were on the track of a rare animal. One I knew that if we caught and brought back would bring us all a fortune. But the animal was most vicious and attacked us, killing the other men. It bit me and then I began to change. My eyes changed, hair began to grow on my body, and I even began to crave raw meat." Perched in the tree he watched Hitomi suddenly stop.  
  
"Are you seriously trying to tell me here that you are a werewolf? Are you kidding me?" Hitomi asked. "You're crazy if you think that I, a grown woman, am going to believe that you are a bloody werewolf! I stopped believing in those stories by the time I was ten."  
  
Hitomi was aware that this was not the best strategy, but she was getting really angry, not just at this guy, who must be crazy, but at herself for being in this situation in the first place. Suddenly, she heard a growl from above her and before she could run he had jumped down and had pinned her to the tree.  
  
"This is no story, my lady!" he growled at her. His eyes flashed and his ears started to grow pointed. Hair was growing on his face at an alarming rate.  
  
"I'm cursed!"  
  
In the distance the sounds of people shouting Hitomi's name and lights coming towards them gave some hope to the young woman.  
  
"You don't belong to that king, you belong to me. Come with me now."  
  
Hitomi stared at him in disbelief. As he spoke, his voice seemed to get much lower and gruffer while at the last sentence he emitted a whine. Hitomi was terrified, but anger and annoyance bubbled up inside her, making her grit her teeth.  
  
"I'm not an inanimate object! No one owns me!" she growled back. The voices were getting closer. She looked at Vincent straight in the eye. "And I'm not going anywhere with you."  
  
Vincent smiled at her fearlessness and courage.  
  
"Such a pity to have to kill you." Before Hitomi could stop him, he bit into the soft flesh of her neck, drawing blood. Standing back to survey his work he smiled as Hitomi clamped a hand over the wound to stop the bleeding, with not much luck. As she slowly slid down the tree to the ground, the colour in her face went to an ashy grey. Vincent bent down so as to be at the same level as her. Lifting her face with his hand, he gave her a rough kiss. He pressed his lips hard against hers and bit her lip so as to make that bleed as well. The search party was almost upon them.  
  
"Farewell, my love." He took out something from his pocket, and in Hitomi's last lucid moments she recognized that the object was a small red flower.  
  
"I saw you pick it earlier when you were out with your little king. I just happened to be going through that bit of wood by chance, when I heard your voice. So I've been watching you all day."  
  
He caressed her face while he continued. "I picked this up from when you dropped it a little later. And I couldn't resist your scent. Funny how chance can change your life. Or in your case end it." He kissed her again and licked some of the blood off her lip. Hitomi opened her mouth to say something, so Vincent leaned in closer to hear her over the sound of the searchers who had just spotted them.  
  
"You... bastard..." she croaked. He stared at her and gave a little laugh before he stood up and brushed off his clothes.  
  
"Now, now, that is not very ladylike. I'm afraid I have to leave now, my Hitomi, as I think your friends will be very unhappy to see your dead body. And your little king may get rather angry if he sees me here standing over you. I look forward to seeing you in the afterlife, my lady." With that, Hitomi saw him bow and disappear into the shadows of the woods. The sound of the people shouting her name filled her ears as she closed her eyes. She could hear one voice separate from the others whisper in her ear.  
  
"Don't leave me, Hitomi. Please don't leave me," begged Van. That was the last thing she heard before the darkness swallowed her up.  
  
--------

_A/N: I hope you liked it folks, let me know what you think! Later! _


	4. Dark Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or any of the characters. (Sigh)**

**A/N: I'm sorry I took a while to update folks! Thanks to Rai for her help which she had to do twice because of my email mucking things up! Thanks for your time kiddo in having to beta-read this again after my account fluffed it up. **

**Anyhoo let's get on with the show! ;)**

**--------**

Raising her head, Hitomi could feel the sun on her face. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in a forest clearing. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about it. Walking to the middle of it, Hitomi sat down on a log and looked around once more, enjoying the calmness. She listened to the sounds of the forest with her eyes closed and let all her thoughts drift away in the peaceful stillness.  
  
She opened her eyes as the sky clouded over, and it suddenly went very cool. A feeling of foreboding came over her. The birds were quiet and the air was heavy with the deafening silence.  
  
Hitomi became aware of a rustling in the foliage around her. Quickly standing up, she called into the shadows that were growing around her to show themselves. Her only answer was a low, angry snarl. She gave a little cry and stepped back in fear, falling over the log. Hitomi crouched behind it as some sort of protection.  
  
The rustling became louder and more violent. Hitomi cried out for help only to have it drowned out by the growling in the bushes. The noises suddenly stopped, and as she peeked over the log, she could feel the heart beating so violently her body shook. But what she saw coming out in to the clearing nearly made it stop.  
  
A huge black beast came out of the shadows. Hitomi wanted to scream, but her throat closed up as she realised that the 'thing' was not even solid. It was as if black mist had been moulded into the shape of an animal. Her throat recovered, and it took Hitomi a couple of seconds to realise that she was screaming. The creature looked straight at her, its yellow eyes glowing, and as it snarled it revealed very big white teeth.  
  
As it started to advance, her instincts kicked in and she ran as fast as she could into the black forest. Running blindly, she had no idea where she was going or where there was any help. She ran forever through the darkness, slipping and sliding on damp logs and roots. Her heart was beating so fast it felt it was going to come out of her chest, and her legs were burning and aching. Slowing down a little, she tried to catch her breath, until a terrifying howl in the near distance echoed around her, sending her on again with renewed purpose. When she thought about help, only a single word came out her mouth.  
  
"Van!" she yelled, praying he would come.  
  
Crashing noises came from the forest behind her as she gasped out his name. Her legs felt like lead and she knew she couldn't run for much longer. With her head hurting and her throat dry, her whole body was burning.  
  
The trees seem to thin out and suddenly she was in a field. Hitomi felt a little hope as she saw a figure in the distance, but this was short lived as she heard the howling again. Daring to look behind her, she saw the creature emerge from the forest. Its sheer size must have slowed it down in the trees, but now that it was on a flat plain it would catch up to her easily.  
  
Hitomi looked ahead and used the last of her strength to give her a burst of speed. The figure was getting closer, and Hitomi recognised it as she approached it.  
  
"Van!" she screamed. He turned, and seeing the thing on her trail, ran towards her. She kept telling herself she was nearly there. He was fast approaching her and she could see his face clearly. So clearly that she could see the horror on his face and could hear his cry.  
  
"No! Hitomi!"  
  
He reached his hand out but before she could grab it, she heard a snarl right behind her and a crushing weight suddenly on her back. The ground came up to meet her and she crashed onto it hard. As the breath got knocked out of her, she got rolled onto her front and was face to face with the creature. Its front paws were planted firmly on her chest and it was staring at her. She felt hypnotised by those glowing eyes, and as it opened its giant jaws and came for her, the last sound she heard was Van screaming her name.  
  
"Hitomi! Hitomi! Wake up! Hitomi!"  
  
She flung open her eyes and was greeted to Van shaking her, yelling her name. Tears escaped as she saw his face, and relief came over her.  
  
"Oh, Van!"  
  
Still holding by the shoulders, he brought her close and embraced her. "Don't you scare me like that. I thought I'd lost you," he whispered in her ear.  
  
Hitomi raised her arms shakily and wrapped them around his waist, taking in his scent. She felt so safe in his arms; just his voice gave her so much comfort. She hid her face against his chest as his presence began to chase away the fear the nightmare had brought. Losing herself in the moment, she ignored the dull aching pain in her neck.  
  
"You're trembling, Hitomi. What happened?" he murmured in her ear.  
  
Hitomi just wanted to block the dream out. It had been so real to her, the monster, the chase. The terror of the whole thing was still with her, especially the look of horror on Van's face. She didn't ever want to see that look again.  
  
"Just hold me for a little longer, Van. Please." Her voice sounded so small and scared that Van hardly recognised it as he gave her a reassuring squeeze. After a while, he tried to coax her again into telling him what happened, when a gentle knock came at the door.  
  
"That's probably the healer," he said soothingly as she jumped at the noise. Gently laying her back against her pillows, he asked if she wanted to see him. Hitomi sought Van's hand and held onto it.  
  
"Lady Kanzaki, you are finally awake. That's wonderful!" said the healer as he came into the room.  
  
He was an elderly man with white hair and a kind smile. Hitomi took a liking to him the minute she saw him.  
  
"You really are a lucky young woman. I don't know many surviving after losing that amount of blood." He noticed her holding Van's hand. "But I suppose there are things in this world that are strong enough to keep a person with us."  
  
The old man apologised when Hitomi winced as he checked her bandages. There was another rap at the door and as Van went to answer it, the healer leaned in. "You're a special young woman, Lady Kanzaki. Your friends are proof of that. They have all stayed here at the palace waiting for you to wake up. The king has been an especially good friend waiting here by your side all the time." He gave her a little wink at that point. Over the ruckuses of her friend coming in she thanked the healer.  
  
"No need to thank me Lady Kan..." he started.  
  
"Please, I'd like it if you could just call me Hitomi," she interrupted him. As she looked at him with her big green eyes he gave a little chuckle.  
  
"If only I'd been forty years younger."  
  
Their conversation was cut short by Merle bursting in excitedly.  
  
"Hitomi! I'm so glad you're okay!" the cat woman exclaimed as she bounded into the room, knocking Van practically across the floor. She ran to the side to the bed as the healer walked to the foot of it.  
  
Merle threw her arms around Hitomi's neck, then quickly recoiled as she remembered the wound. "I'm sorry, I forgot about it there," she apologised, looking at a pale faced Hitomi.  
  
Hitomi gave her a wan smile and patted the side of the bed for her to sit on. "It's all right, Merle. Thank you for your concern."  
  
"'Concern'? 'Concern'! I was worried sick!" exclaimed Merle as she took up the invitation and sat down beside her friend.  
  
"We all were," said Allen as he entered the room followed by Millerna and Dryden.  
  
Hitomi smiled shakily. "How long was I out for?"  
  
"A couple of very long days," answered Millerna  
  
"How did you all know I was awake?" asked Hitomi, a little curious. Then Merle explained that she had heard the healer talk to her when he came in the room.  
  
"You don't think these things are just for display, do you?" she grinned as she twitched her pointed ears, making Hitomi laugh.  
  
"What about you three, did you follow Merle up?"  
  
"Oh no, no we didn't. Merle ran out the room without saying anything," said Millerna, sitting at the foot of the bed and smiling warmly at her friend.  
  
"Then how?" Hitomi asked again.  
  
"Let's just say that we didn't need 'cat like' hearing to be able to pick up Merle coming in to the room," drawled Dryden as he sat on a chair in the corner. He made everyone in the room laugh, and when Merle crossed her arms and put on a pout they laughed all the louder.  
  
"Well, it seems that I had better be going. I'll come in and check in on you later," said the healer as he made his way out the room.  
  
"Thank you again for everything," said Hitomi.  
  
The elderly man shook his head. "You should thank your friends more than me, Lady K... I mean, Hitomi. Without Princess Millerna treating you while Prince Dryden paid for me to get to the ship, I really doubt I could have helped in any way." With that, he said good evening to them and made his way out the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
Hitomi was astounded at how much her friends had gone through for her. "Wow. I'm sorry I've been causing you all so much trouble."  
  
"Nonsense, Hitomi. You were in trouble and we did what we could to help you," Allen said soothingly as he drew a chair for himself and Van to sit beside her. As Van sat down in the nearest her, he instinctively helped her sit up a little more. He positioned pillows behind her and pulled the covers up so she wouldn't get cold, not noticing everyone watching and smiling.  
  
"Now, can you tell us now what happened? Who attacked you?" asked Van.  
  
Hitomi raised a hand and rubbed her forehead as the memories came flooding back to her. "He said his name was 'Vincent'. I thought he was one of the guests that had been invited to the party. He seemed very charming and gentlemanlike, at first. Then he seemed to change, literally, before my eyes." She sighed again before she filled them in on the whole event. The spell he seemed to have been able to cast on her, the kiss, how he seemed to be able to transform into some kind of 'beast-man'. She refused to say 'werewolf' because she was still trying to get her head around that fact. She then told them what he had told her about his past, and then him subsequently biting her.  
  
"He transformed?" asked Dryden, puzzled.  
  
"He came from the Mystic Moon?" a confused Allen said. "He kissed you?" said Van quietly.  
  
"Yes, yes and yes," answered Hitomi. She then went on to describe what he looked like before and after he had changed.  
  
"The description sounds like the figure we saw that disappeared just as we got to you at the tree," added Millerna.  
  
Allen looked even more confused. "But how could a man bite, Hitomi?"  
  
"I just told you, he changed into some kind of animal," said Hitomi, a little irritated. She could feel it build up inside of her.  
  
"But how could he? I've never heard of anyone who could do that," said Dryden sceptically.  
  
"I'm telling you, he did! He grew big fangs, had yellow eyes, pointed ears, and hair started to grow on his face right in front of my eyes!" she cried, wanting them to believe. Looking at each of their faces in turn and seeing only blank expressions, anger suddenly seemed to bubble in her and before she could stop herself she started to yell at them.  
  
"I'm not making this up!" She yanked at the bandage around her neck, making them all start, and revealed an even angrier looking bite mark. "What do you think did this?! A squirrel?!" she could feel herself getting more and more furious. Her breathing got quicker, all her muscles tensed up and she clenched her fists into tight balls.  
  
Van gently touched her hand. "We believe you, Hitomi, it's just a lot to take in, that's all," he said quietly.  
  
She at once felt herself calming down. Whatever was boiling up inside her immediately seemed to quiet at the sound of Van's voice, the touch of his hand. The others were staring at her with shock on their faces.  
  
"Of course we believe you," added Allen as the rest of them nodded in agreement. Millerna got up and stood by the side of the bed. The room began to get a little darker as the sun outside began to set.  
  
"I trust you more than anyone in this world, Hitomi. Please don't get upset. If you do, just don't yank at the bandage. It took me forever to put on, okay?" smiled Millerna as she gently fixed it.  
  
Hitomi gave a little snort of laughter. She raised her other hand and massaged her head, surprised that she had totally blown up at her friends like that. When Millerna had finished and returned to where she was sitting, Hitomi apologised profusely to everyone in the room. They all concluded that it was probably just that she was tired and she had been through a traumatic experience. Afterwards, they all got up and made their way to the door.  
  
"You have a good night's sleep, and we can talk again at breakfast," ordered the princess.  
  
"Yes ma'am." Hitomi saluted her. As they all exchanged 'goodnight's and 'sweet dreams' they walked out the room so that only Van was left in the room. He stood by her bed and waited for everyone to leave so they could be alone.  
  
"Hitomi," he started, as they were alone, "I've taken the guest room next door, so if you need anything, and I mean anything, all you have to do is call."  
  
When he said this, Hitomi smiled gratefully at him and reached for his hand. "Thank you, Van."  
  
As they looked at each other, she lifted her head and looked at him longingly. Resting a hand on the bed, he leaned closer, so close that he could smell her faint perfumed scent.  
  
"Hitomi," he spoke softly, leaning closer. Hitomi's heart skipped a beat as he said her name.  
  
"Van," she whispered. She could feel butterflies in her stomach as he raised his other arm and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. As he closed in, she closed her eyes and felt his soft warm lips brush against hers. She felt a sudden rush, and her whole body tingled with the sensation. Trembling at his touch, she savoured the sensation. When they pulled away she looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes.  
  
"When I saw you at that tree and thought you were.... I've never been so scared in all my life. I felt even more so than the time your heart stopped." As he caressed her face she could see the fear in his eyes. Like in her dream. "I thought you'd left me. I don't know what I would have...."  
  
"Shh." Hitomi gently silenced him by touching his lips. Tracing the shape o them with a finger, she gazed in to his eyes. "I'm yours, Van. I'll always be by your side."  
  
As she said this, she touched his face, brushing a bang out of his face, and then kissed him. When they pulled away again, Van embraced her. As they held each other, Hitomi buried her face in his shoulder.  
  
"Always," she whispered. After a while, they broke apart. Van stood up and held her hand.  
  
"I'd better let you get some rest, otherwise I'll have Millerna getting me into trouble." He kissed her hand, said his good nights, and left the room, leaving Hitomi by herself. Fixing the pillows, she snuggled down, drifting off to sleep with a contented smile on her face.

--------

**Hope you all found it worth waiting for peeps!**


	5. Drifting Thoughts

**Discalimer: I don't own Escaflowne or any of the characters (So don't sue me, I have nothing! Nothing I tell you!).**

**Boo: This has been a long time coming and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I hope there are still a few of you out there who remember me. A big thanks to Nike for beta-reading this chapter and the following ones even though I know you have so much work to do. You're a star! Plus a big shout out and thanks to Rai who beta-read the past chapters and for not telling me how much I suck. ;)**

**--------**

The next morning Hitomi woke with a start as she sat bolt upright in bed, covered in sweat, her neck throbbing. She had had another nightmare. The monster from before, chasing her through the black forest - the sequence the same as before. She came out of the forest running towards the figure that was Van only to be caught by the huge beast and, as she was turned over, she was shocked to see that it wasn't the monster on top of her anymore but actually Vincent, his hair wild like his eyes, which were yellow. Hitomi nearly didn't recognise him as he pinned her to the ground. He bared his long white canines at her and snarled. He brought his face close to hers so she could feel his hot breath on her face. He emitted a low growl and when he said his simple statement the voice was a mixture of human and animal.

"You. Belong. To. Me."

As he had said that, she had woken up.

Flinging a hand to the bandage - wincing as it seemed to burn - she sat up and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. She concentrated on trying to steady her breathing. When the burning in her neck seemed to have dulled down, and feeling a little calmer, she looked around the room. Hitomi noticed the door to the bathroom was slightly ajar and swung her legs from under the covers, placing them on the floor. Gingerly, she put her weight on them and slowly rose from the bed. She took a small step away from it, a little unsure of herself. Standing for a moment she felt satisfied and made her way over to the bathroom door. Hitomi placed her hand on the smooth handle and pushed it further open, pleased with her progress.

As she made her way into the room she took in all the fragrances around her. Someone had filled the room with lots of different bath oils and soaps, and their perfumes hung in the air. Hitomi smiled, feeling the tiles pleasantly cool under her bare feet as she sauntered over to the mirror hung over the sink. She gave a groan at the sight of her reflection: hair sticking up in every direction, plus the dark rings around her eyes contrasted sharply with the ghost-like complexion. Grabbing a brush she started immediately trying to tame her long hair while her thoughts drifted.

Going over in her mind the events of a few nights ago with Vincent, she puzzled over a few things. Well, she thought to herself, mostly everything about the 'man' had puzzled her. Saying that, he had by chance heard her voice and was going to have her as dinner, until he had seen her. Then he'd decided he was going to have a little fun instead.

"Creep." She said aloud.

Then his whole attitude seemed to change. Going from the scary predator to whining at her, saying that she "belonged to him." Scowling at the mirror, she felt annoyance at the ego of the man. As she got more irritated the brush in her hand and her hair were getting the brunt of it. The simple, gentle movements were getting quicker and she was now dragging it through her hair.

"'Belong' huh? I think you should maybe get over yourself Mr Wolf," she growled. She could hear his voice in her mind as she remembered his little speech about not being able to resist her scent, going on about 'chance'.

"Bastard." She said when she remembered him referring to Van as her "little king".

Suddenly she let out a little yelp as the brush got caught in her hair and she, not realising, yanked at it.

Dropping it, she placed her hands on the side of the sink and tried to calm herself down as the wound was beginning to burn again. Raising her eyes, she met her own in the mirror and gave a little snort, a smile playing on her lips.

"This is healthy Kanzaki, you're talking to someone who's not here, and now you're chatting with your reflection." She gave a little sigh as she ran her hand through her brushed hair. Standing back up she gave a little stretch and walked over to the bath, turning on the taps. Perched on the side of the large tub, she got lost in her memories of the evening before. Thinking about the kiss she and Van had shared, Hitomi could feel butterflies in her stomach. She played the whole scene over and over in slow motion, each time getting the same feeling. A big grin came over her face, as her big toe drew circles on the smooth tiled floor while she stared at the ceiling. Hitomi couldn't suppress a giggle escaping and as she poured some oil into the bath and slipped in, and she happily found she couldn't stop.

--------

When Hitomi heard a gentle knock on her bedroom door she was already changed and pulling her damp hair into a loose bun, letting stray strands fall about her face. Smoothing out the plain cream cotton dress she had put on she called for them to enter. As Van entered and made his way over towards her, she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.

"Good morning," smiled Van.

Hitomi held out her hand, which he took and brought her close. Embracing her, Van breathed in, taking in the faint remains of the perfume of the bath oils that still clung to Hitomi. Making an approving noise he kissed her on the cheek.

"Good morning," answered Hitomi, as she slid her arm around his waist. Before they had a chance to continue their activities from the night before they heard a cough coming from the door. Startled they separated quickly and turned to see who was at the door.

"Y-yes what is it?" Van asked the servant, his face completely flushed.

"Majesty, breakfast is served and your other guests asked if you would be joining them," said the man at the door.

"Can you tell them we will be down directly, please," ordered Van. As the older man turned around and walked away, they could both see that he was trying hard not to smile. This made Van blush a little more. Hitomi adored the little incidental things Van did that showed her his softer side. Pushing herself up on her toes she kissed him on the cheek. As he turned to look at her with a lop-sided smile on his face, he offered her his arm.

"Shall we go down to breakfast?" he asked.

--------

"Hey, you two! We were wondering were you had got to," exclaimed Millerna. When Hitomi sat down however, she looked at Allen and Dryden's faces, and they didn't seem to be all that puzzled.

"Sorry. Dryden and I tried to stop them from sending the servants to look for you, but they didn't seem to take the hint," Allen apologised from the side of his mouth to Hitomi.

"Don't worry about it." Hitomi whispered back, smiling.

As they started to chat and eat, Hitomi looked around them all, not really listening in particular to any conversation. The bite on her neck seemed to start to ache, and with it she could feel a burning sensation running thorough her body. Starting at her toes, it slowly crept up her legs. She shuffled in her seat uncomfortably, feeling suddenly very irritated. She gripped her legs as the burning spread to them. The room seem to get closer and the air heavier. She scrunched her hands into to balls as the wound burned and ached. Hitomi felt so hot in the room: her body was burning up, and with it she felt more and more agitated. She shuffled again and was surprised by a maid appearing by her side.

"My lady, is the food not to your liking? We can bring you something else if you would care for something different," the maid asked quietly, smiling.

"Oh no, no thanks. It's not the food, it's me, I'm really not all that hungry," Hitomi replied. Which was not strictly true. She was wanting, no, craving something, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. This was another thing that was vexing her.

"Are you sure? I can bring you something light. Like maybe toast with jam? Or scrambled eggs: they will fill you up," the maid said maternally. However Hitomi was not in the mood. The woman's voice was just like a droning in the background as the heat spread up to her arms. Grinding her teeth together as the back of her neck prickled, she refused again through gritted teeth. Not realising the tenuous thread that Hitomi was holding onto was about to snap, the maid continued, making a little speech about how Hitomi should be trying to keep her strength up. A veil of red seemed to drop over her vision as Hitomi stood up violently, sending her chair toppling backwards.

"I told you I don't want anything! No toast and for god's sake, NO scrambled eggs! I'm not hungry!" Hitomi ranted, her breath coming raggedly as she finished. Looking at the little woman trembling before her, Hitomi felt sick from the bottom of her stomach. The maid's eyes went wide with horror as she looked at Hitomi, mumbling incoherent words. The only one Hitomi understood was 'eyes'.

Turning on her heel, Hitomi quickly left the room, not registering her friends calling her name. The very blood in her veins seemed to be boiling as she sprinted up the stairs; the unbearable pain in her neck was getting too much and she wanted to get to her room. She wanted to be alone.

Turning the handle to her room she closed the door quickly, locking it and leaning her back against the cool wood. As Hitomi stayed there for a few moments, she could hear herself panting hard. But it wasn't because of the exertion of running up the stairs: it was more to do with the fact that she'd had used every ounce of her strength to control the urge of ripping the servant to pieces. This realisation scared her more than anything. A cold terror gripped her, turning into panic when she remembered the word the maid had uttered. Running over to the bathroom she yanked the door open and went quickly over to the mirror. What she saw there made the boiling blood turn to ice. Hitomi leaned closer to her reflection not wanting to believe what she saw there.

--------

**I know this is short, sorry! Please reveiw 'cause I love it so (well my ego does ;P). Anyway I do hope you liked it, more to follow!**


	6. Knowing What's Real

**Declaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or any of the characters.**

**Boo: Ok this chapter is a little longer. I'm upping the rating for future chapters. It'll get a lot darker (hopefully).**

**--------**

"No, no it can't be!" she wailed. Staring back at her were not her green eyes but terrible golden ones, slitted pupils shrinking into thin lines at the shock. "No!" Hitomi screamed. Through the red mists clouding her mind, Hitomi could distantly hear Van and the others shouting through the door to her bedroom. Staring at the sight, a sudden rage took over her, as she could see the eyes of Vincent staring out at her. In fury she raised her fists smashing the mirror, trying to obliterate the image. Shards flew around the room with the force. Loud thuds now came from the door outside but Hitomi didn't hear them. Staring at the blood dripping from her hands onto the floor, the horror made her seemingly go deaf and dumb as the terrible realisation of it all sunk in. She felt as if a shell-like bubble surrounded her, keeping all noise from the outside world away from where she stood. Falling onto her knees she started to sob. As Van and the others smashed down the door and rushed in, she could vaguely hear their muffled voices going on around her.

"Hitomi? Hitomi! Allen get give me that towel over," ordered Van as he took Hitomi's hands and gently wrapped them in the towel. "Don't let Merle come in here – there's glass every where and we don't want anyone else to start bleeding all over the place." He continued as Merle peered around the door. Hitomi could faintly hear Millerna ordering Van to put some water in a bowl and Allen to bring her out of there. Feeling herself being lifted, Allen's soft voice whispered in her ears.

"Hitomi it's ok. Everything is going to be ok." He cradled her in his arms and brought her in to the bedroom setting her down gently on the bed. She could hear Allen stand back as Van rushed over to her. Brushing the fallen bangs out of her eyes, she could hear his intake of breath. The white noise in her brain cleared and as she recovered the use of her limbs she turned and looked at him, dread in her heart as she looked into his eyes, wondering what she would see in them. A tiny glimmer of hope warmed her as she saw his love for her still there, burning brightly.

Suddenly Van was hidden from her sight as Millerna and other people she didn't know crowded around her.

"Hitomi it's me Millerna I'm going to take the glass out of your hands ok? It's going to hurt so I'm just going to give you an anaesthetic to help."

"No." Hitomi croaked the syllable.

"What? But there is going to be a lot of pain. I think I'm going to have to stitch some of these cuts."

"No." Millerna looked at her friend's face with a worried expression. "I want… no… I need to feel the pain," continued Hitomi, while Millerna looked on surprised. "Please… this way I know that this is real and not some nightmare I can't wake from," she said weakly. Millerna nodded grimly and ordered the other healers and the two women's friends out. As they all made their way out the room, Hitomi felt someone gently touch her leg. Looking down, her eyes hidden under her fallen hair she saw Van. His face pale with worry he smiled at her.

"I'll always be by your side," he whispered, echoing her words of the night before. He gave her leg a squeeze. "Always." The heart-felt words sustained her through the agony of her wounds getting cleaned and bandaged. As Millerna stitched the worst ones Hitomi cried out in pain, swearing from time to time in Japanese, cursing Vincent. When it was finished, Hitomi looked up at Millerna to see that she had been crying while she had been working on her.

"That's it all done. I got all the shards out of your hands and knees and have cleaned them thoroughly," the Princess stated, exhausted, as she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. Reaching out gingerly Hitomi squeezed Millerna's hand resting on her lap.

"Thank you" she said weakly. "Now what do you think you can do about this?" With that Hitomi pushed the bangs out of her face and looked up at her friend, awaiting her reaction. Millerna's eyes went wide with shock and Hitomi waited to see if her friend would pull away. Instead Millerna shook her head and sighed.

"My poor friend, what have you got yourself into this time?" Reaching down she wiped the tears that were falling from her Hitomi's eyes. "You just can't stay out of trouble can you?" she chuckled. Hitomi gave a little snort, thankful of the brief moment of humour. But looking up into the Princess' eyes, she could feel her eyes watering.

"I don't know if I'll be able to get out of it this time. Oh Millerna I'm so scared! What's happening to me?" Hitomi started to cry again; huge heavy sobs that had seemed to weigh in her chest escaped.

"I don't know, but we will figure it out. Together. That's what friends are for, right?" As Millerna spoke she almost couldn't finish what she was saying as she also broke down into sobs, hugging Hitomi tenderly. As the two of them sobbed into the other's shoulders, Millerna promised that she would do everything she could to help.

After a little while they pulled apart and wiping away her tears Millerna told her to get a little rest while she gave the others an update on her condition. Hitomi smiled weakly as her friend slipped out the room, telling her that everything was going to be ok.

--------

As Hitomi watched the door close quietly behind her friend she glanced down at her bandaged hands. Telling herself that mutilating her hands was not the best way to get out of this mess, she then lay back against the pillows staring at the ceiling. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep. However, the thought of seeing that bastard in her dreams again prevented her from doing so. Sitting up she got off the bed, pulled the blanket off her bed and wrapped it around her. Going over to the mirror on the dresser she checked her eyes again, hoping against hope that she had been hallucinating before. But she was sorely disappointed to see that they were the same gold colour as before. Pulling the skin under her eyes down carefully, she examined the gold orbs closer, and after a couple of minutes she pulled a face at herself and sighing pulled away from the mirror. She wandered over to the window, staring out at the world, letting her thoughts drift. Gazing out at the sky as it went from the mottled pinks and oranges from the setting sun to a dark red.

"Red sky at night shepherds delight." She whispered to herself.

She opened the window and sat on the window ledge, pulling the blanket around her to stop out the slight chill in the air. Though it was getting cool, Hitomi quite liked it. It was quite pleasant again her skin and the gentle breeze let her take in the delicate perfumed fragrance of the grounds. She stayed there as the sky darkened and the first stars came out. She looked up at the 'Mystic Moon' as it hung there, a comforting presence to Hitomi as she marvelled at its beauty. Its glow helping the moon illuminate the twilight world below it. Closing her eyes she felt herself dozing slightly under the friendly eye of her home planet. She didn't know she had fallen into a light sleep until she heard a soft rapping at the door. Calling out sleepily, she was answered by Allen. As she beckoned him in she slowly slipped off the window ledge and stood waiting for the Knight to come in.

"Hitomi?" he whispered looking around the door. He screwed his eyes up as he tried to find her in the darkness. As his eyes started to go into night vision mode he saw her at the window and smiled. "Hitomi. I hope you don't mind me visiting you at this time of night." Encouraged by her beckoning him in a second time, he closed the door behind him and made his way over stand beside her at the window. As the two of them looked out the window neither said anything. Hitomi looked at him and smiled as she remembered why she had had a crush on him the first time she had met the Knight. His blond hair shone in the moonlight and he was beautiful, but she would always see him as a close friend. The feelings she had had before were far behind her. Though he would always be special to her; after all he had given her her first kiss. Now, though, his brow was furrowed with worry and knowing that he wouldn't come to her room this late with out it being important she turned and looked out the window as the moon began to climb in the night sky, shining brightly.

"The moon is beautiful tonight don't you think?" she said, breaking the silence.

"What? Yes, yes it is," he replied distractedly. Glancing out the corner of her eye, she could see the blond man squirm awkwardly, trying to find the right words to say. This was a little surprising to her, as he had no problem with that in the past. Charming practically every female he met, he had always seemed to know what to say when things were going wrong. So to see him struggling now was something she had never really seen before. She looked at the moon again.

"I take it Millerna has told you about my 'condition' as it were?" she said, guessing this was what he was thinking about. He gave a little sigh of relief at the lifeline she had thrown him.

"Yes. Yes, she did. She broke the news to all of us." Allen said, quietly grateful. "We - as in all of us - have been discussing it, trying to decide what the best course of action should be."

"And what have you decided?" Hitomi asked.

"Well, I was told to bring you down so that we could talk to you and see how you felt." Allen recounted, his voice remaining quiet.

"What would have happened if I was asleep?"

"I was to wake you."

"Oh." She knew things must be serious.

Allen turned and looked at her, calling her name softly. As she turned he looked at her eyes, and gave a sad smile.

"I didn't want the first conversation we had together to be such a serious one." He said regretfully. He brushed a bang out of her face so as to see her eyes better. "We'll stop this Hitomi, I swear." Hitomi echoed his sad smile. "I don't think you realise how important you are to everyone in that room down there." He paused. "Or in this one." A look of confusion came into her eyes, making him chuckle. "No, like it's not like that. You will always be special to me Hitomi. I mean I did propose to you, and I don't take things like that lightly." He turned and looked out the window and she followed his example. "It may not have been true love like you and Van, but it was special to me. But I'm more than content with being a close friend. I treasure the friendship we share and I'd do anything to protect that and you." When he had finished, Hitomi smiled again: he had said precisely the right thing at the right time. It was Allen's special gift and she did appreciate the genuine feelings behind his words.

"Thank you," she whispered, not just for what he had said then, but for everything he had done in the past. She felt his hand squeeze hers, returning the gesture, then let their hands drop and for a few moments fell into a comfortable silence looking out at the midnight world. "Shall we go?" Hitomi asked, tugging at the blanket and using it as a giant shawl.

"Are you ok to walk?" Allen asked concerned.

" Uh, yeah. I fell on to the floor and you picked me up. My feet didn't touch any glass at all." Hitomi explained, rather embarrassed at event earlier. "Thanks for doing that," she said rather sheepishly.

--------

As they made their way out the door Allen told not to worry about it, he was glad he could help. For the rest to the trip down the stairs their conversation turned to lighter topics, as he told her that his sister sent her regards and apologies for not coming, as she was away on diplomatic matters.

"How's she enjoying the diplomatic job?" asked Hitomi.

"She gets a real kick out of helping keeping the peace between countries," Allen replied, obviously very proud of Celena.

However, their mood changed when they entered a living room. Everyone else was sitting around the room in silence. When the two of them came in, they all stood up, all with worried smiles. Hitomi sat on the couch beside Van, waiting for them to start talking. Millerna broke the silence as she came over and checked all her bandages.

"Hitomi, if I have to put any more bandages on you're going to look like a mummy." Hitomi and Millerna's laughter broke the tension in the room, and people seem to relax a little.

"So, what have you decided?" Hitomi addressed the room, while she watched Millerna work. Dryden gave a little cough.

"Well, we were going to talk to you about that. We think that we – err - we err….." he faltered.

"We need to find out more about this Vincent and about what is happening to you," Van continued. Hitomi looked up at him as he put an arm on the top of the couch behind her. She was taken aback a little at the way he had spat Vincent's name.

"And that means?"

"We think that the best thing to do is to go to this forest and look for clues there. Lord Van and Dryden know the wolf people who live there, they might be able to help us," replied Merle, who was sitting in a chair a little opposite. Hitomi couldn't help but smile at the use of the word 'us'.

"I see," she said quietly. "When do we go?" she asked looking around them all. The silence that filled the room was deafening.

"As soon as we pack a few things and I sort out a couple of details with my advisors,"

stated Van.

"I see."

"Well I'd better go and pack then, and help Hitomi with hers." Millerna chirped, standing up and making her way over to the door. Another silence followed her to the door. Noticing this she turned and look at them.

"What's going on?"

"Err," said Van.

"What?"

"It's just that this may be a long and difficult trip."

"And?"

"Well you're a Prince..." Van didn't finish the sentence as the drop in the room temperature gave him a slight warning that it would not be a good idea to finish what he was going to say.

"Van De Fanel, you had better not had been trying to tell me that I wasn't going along with you."

"Well…"

"After all we have all been through, you still don't think I can handle myself? I'm a Princess, yes, but I'm Hitomi's friends as well and there is NO way that I'm going to stay behind," she stated, her hands planted firmly on her hips as she looked at Van through narrowed eyes.

"Give up, Van, you can't win against her. Believe me, I've tried in the past, but when she's like this you've no chance," warned Dryden. Van being the type of person who took good advice shrugged his shoulders in defeat. Millerna, satisfied with her victory, turned on her heel and marched out the door. Merle then got up and offered Hitomi help up the stairs.

"You can tell me what to pack." As they walked out the door Dryden gave a little cough.

"Err… Merle I don't think it would be a good idea for you to come. We don't want a procession going into a dangerous forest." Merle turned and glared at him.

"You must be joking of you think I'm not coming too. If I don't go I'll give you a whole new meaning to the term 'hissy fit'." It was Van's turn to give his friend the warning and again the other took the advice on board and left the two women to go up the stairs and pack while Allen sat in the corner chuckling.

--------

**Well I hope you all liked it. Let me know what you think.**

**Later.**


	7. Sweet Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or the characters.**

**Boo: This chapter is pretty short sorry! But I will hopefully have the next bit up soon.**

**Dedicated to Nike, the best tent puter-uper, and of course the 'Behemoth'.**

**--------**

Things seem to go on fast forward to Hitomi after wards as they were all soon packed and making their way out to saddle some horses. Pulling up the hood on the cloak Millerna had lent her, she watched as Van gave some last orders to some servants and senior advisers. Suddenly she noticed a familiar face watching all the commotion. Walking over to it they didn't realise she was there until she spoke.

"Excuse me?" Hitomi ventured. The maid jumped at her sudden hooded presence. Apologising for startling her Hitomi went on. "I'm so sorry about earlier I really didn't mean to explode at you like that." Much to Hitomi's relief the maid smiled at her.

"No need to apologise I realise you weren't yourself earlier." The woman replied. Looking at Hitomi's eyes there was no fear this time only concern.

"Well I wanted to apologise anyway. Just to let you know." As the other woman nodded Hitomi turned and walked away pulling up the hood again. She turned when she heard her name being called.

"Take care of yourself milady." The maid shouted at her. Hitomi nodded at her and turned walking over to the horses and mounting the one with her pack on.

As everyone mounted his or her horses Allen and Van had a quick conversation on the best way to go. The night air making their breaths come out as mist. During this brief moment Hitomi looked around the figures on horse. Her friends. A thin smile played its way across her face as she realised how lucky she was. Her friends who were willing to start out on a long trip in the middle of the night surrounded her. The support she felt gave her strength to keep the yawning craving in her stomach at bay. The discussion over they set out to the calling and waving of everyone at the palace. Hitomi looked at the moon, which was now high in the sky, before she trotted on after them.

It seemed like hours went by as they said a few words. Allen and Van leading at the front slowed down every now and again to check on Hitomi and the others. Hitomi felt fine in fact her senses were jingling. The world seemed to sharpen in contrast as she smelt the new scents of the forest around them. She could hear insects in the distance and with her new vision she could see everything. It totally blew her away. She looked at the world through new eyes absorbing everything around her. Looking up at the moon she gave a little gasp as her pupils dilated taking in every detail of the glowing disc.

After a while Allen told Van that they had to stop to set up camp as Merle was falling asleep. The cat woman fought as hard as she could against it but in the end she knew she was losing the battle and group soon stopped and started to set up camp. The girls went off to put up their tents as the men discussed how they were going to proceed in the morning. They could hear the occasional giggle come from their direction as they tried to put up their tent.

"Ok so where does this bit go?"

"Over here Millerna."

"Ow watch where you're putting that pole Hitomi."

"Sorry Merle."

The conversation went on for a while; interspersed with giggles, as they struggled with the tent they affectionately nicknamed the 'Behemoth'. The sheer size of it could fit all of the company but the women had been given it as the men would be staying by the fire taking a rest while one of them kept watch.

Standing back they survived their work. The tent was massive and they had successfully pitched it up. When Van and the others came over they looked it over impressed.

"Wow you did a good job and with practically no light as well." Van crossed his arms grinning as the women all stood hands on hips and flushed faces looked at their handy work.

"It was tricky but we did it in the end." Millerna proudly announced wiping her brow with the back of her hand. The other two agreed as they fanned their faces and pulled their hair back.

Dryden gave a little snort as he came over smoking a cigar. Millerna shot him a warning glare.

"You think you can do better?" She sniffed.

"Oh don't get me wrong Millerna I wasn't laughing at you. I'm just sorry I missed you three lovely ladies exerting yourselves putting it up." Everyone started to chuckle as Millerna shot him a death glare.

"Ignore him and his disgusting cigar and let's go into OUR wonderful tent and get some rest." Millerna said rather loudly. Shaking their heads smiling the other two women said their good nights and followed her inside.

"Goodnight Hitomi." Said Van as the other two walked away laughing loudly and Millerna was complaining to Merle about Dryden.

"Goodnight Van." She stepped out the tent and quickly walked gave him a brief but rather passionate kiss. When she stepped back she smiled at him. "Sweet dreams." She whispered ducking back into the tent.

"Sweet dreams." Van whispered back but was drowned out by Millerna repeating her complaints as Hitomi had missed them. Smiling Van turned and walked back to his two friends thinking about Hitomi's kiss.

--------


End file.
